1. Jephthah was a strong soldier from Gilead. His father was named Gilead, and his mother was a prostitute.
2. Gilead’s wife had several sons. When they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave his home, saying to him, “You will not get any of our father’s property, because you are the son of another woman.”
3. So Jephthah ran away from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There some worthless men began to follow him.
4. After a time the Ammonites fought against Israel.
5. When the Ammonites made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah to bring him back from Tob.